A teacher in Texas was arrested Tuesday after an alleged sexual relationship with a minor she met while volunteering at a church.

Nicole Marie Faires Andrews, 31, was charged with sexual assault of a child — a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison — for an ongoing relationship with the victim after they met at the Church at Canyon Creek in Austin, Texas.

According to NBC affiliate KXAN -TV, authorities reportedly began investigating the alleged tryst in October while Andrews worked as a volunteer youth administrator at the church. She was arrested Dec. 12 after being accused of engaging in an illicit sexual relationship with a minor .

Andrews reportedly worked at Cedar Park Middle School until she resigned on Nov. 6. Fox affiliate KTBC cited authorities with the sheriff’s office saying the minor in question was not a student at the school.

Fox News also reported that Andrews started teaching English/Language Arts at the middle school in August 2015.

Principal Sandra Stewart said parents and students at Cedar Park Middle School were notified of Andrews’ possible relationship with a high school student on Oct. 25. In a letter sent to their homes. Stewart stated that Andrews was placed on administrative leave the same day, pending an investigation by law enforcement. The Leander Independent School District further said the encounters Andrews was accused of never took place at a function or facility of the state.

Rep. Tony Dale, (R-Cedar Park) told KXAN that Senate Bill 7 — rendered effective on Sept. 1 — looked to tackle the trend of inappropriate relationships between teachers and students, regardless of whether they both attend schools in a particular district.

"We need to make sure that it not only handled issues that were inside one school district, but between school districts," said Dale. "We’ve put stricter penalties in place for non-compliance, stricter penalties in place for not reporting, and also for the people that perpetrate these crimes; they can lose their pensions, as well." These penalties were in addition to all the other criminal penalties that applied under law, Dale said.

"One of the reasons I got involved in this whole issue is not just because I’m a parent and someone that thinks adults should leave kids alone, but I represent two school districts that have had these problems. But it’s not just my school district, it’s all over the state, and sadly, it’s all over the country, as well. It’s important to protect kids," he added.

The Texas Education Agency stated that a case was opened into Andrews on Nov. 21.

Meanwhile, Monty Watson, the senior pastor of The Church at Canyon Creek, said in a statement: "Our hearts go out to the victim and the family, and we ask for prayer for all involved. We are working with the authorities and fully cooperating with this investigation."

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